Perfection
by AmiThest
Summary: When tragidy strikes Team Rocket, can duty triumph over beauty?


Perfection

Perfection   
By[Ami][1]   
_Warning: These are not my characters. I don't own any of them. I just use 'em. This story has some violence, implied adult situations, and swearing. It's one of my favorites, though. ^_^ _

    "Bike, bike, bike! Is that all you can ever think about?!" Ash complained, frowning at Misty. "When are you going to forget about that whole stupid thing?"     "Whenever you finally pay me back!" Misty retorted.     "Will you two stop that? We're supposed to be trying to find the next gym, not fighting!" Brock pleaded with the two children. They both ignored him, yelling louder at each other to drown Brock out. He finally gave up. "Those two are hopeless." He said to Pikachu.     "Pika." Pikachu agreed. Then he looked up. "Pika! Pikachu!" He yelled, pointing desperately at something up the road.     "Huh?" Ash stopped his fighting long enough to look over at Pikachu. "What is it? What's wrong, Pikachu?"     "Pika pi!" Ash followed Pikachu's pointing.     Down the road was Team Rocket. Something was very wrong, however. They weren't saying 'prepare for trouble'. In fact, they didn't seem prepared for anything. James was lying on the ground, and Jessie was yelling at him. As the group got closer, they heard part of the conversation.     "James! James!" Jessie had him by the collar and was shaking him violently. "Wake up! This isn't funny!" He offered a slight groan in response, but didn't move. "Get up!" She yelled, shaking him again.     "Face it, Jess." Meowth said. "He ain't gonna go anywhere unless you're taking him there." Jessie frowned at the suggestion.     "Me? Carry him?!" She said indignantly. "Can you hear me, James? Wake up now!" She ordered. He still didn't answer. She sighed and sat down next to him. "Come on." She lifted his upper half into her lap slightly, pressing her lips to his forehead.     Meowth snickered, and she blushed. "He's burning up." She said softly. "With these gloves, I hadn't even noticed." She sighed and lifted him so he was draped over her back. "We'd better get him to the hospital." She made it sound more like a chore then an emergency.     Jessie dragged him a few steps, staggering slightly under his weight. She dragged him for about ten feet, then dropped him. "Screw this." She began to walk off. "Watch him." She disappeared.     "Wait! Jessie, come back!" Meowth yelled. He took a few steps after her, then looked back at James. Meowth walked back to James, then glanced back to where Jessie had left. "He needs help!" He pleaded.     "What's her problem?" Ash asked no one in particular. Meowth jumped slightly, then turned around.     " Yois goiys!" He yelled. "What is you doing here?" He barred his claws. "Yois better leave us alone, or I'll have ta hoit ya!" Then James stirred softly behind him, and he turned around.     James moaned and forced his eyes halfway open. "Wha? Where?..." He muttered, turning his head slightly. He cringed in pain. "Jessie?" He asked for his partner, expecting her to be there. Meowth gulped.     "Well, you see, Jessie kinda... Jessie is..." Meowth looked around, trying to find a good excuse. "Jessie's got something very important to do, but she'll be back soon." He finally lied. James nodded slightly, accepting it totally.     "My stomach... hurts.......really badly..." He moaned. "I think I... I think I'm... dying." He closed his eyes again. "Tell Jess... I'll miss her."      "Don't talk like that." Brock said, stepping forward. He kneeled down next to the sick boy, taking one of his arms. "Hey, Ash, give me a hand." He called over his shoulder. He pulled James's arm around his neck, and slowly stood up.     "What is you gonna do with him?" Meowth demanded. "You'd better watch it, 'cause if yois guys do somethin' to him, Jessie and me'll get ya!"     "Right now, I highly doubt Jessie would waste her time like that." Brock countered. He put his other arm around the boy's waist, and began dragging him down the path. "We're taking him to the nearest hospital. He'll never make it out here."     "What?!" Ash protested. "Why are we going to help them? They're our enemies! This is probably just one of their stupid plans to capture Pikachu." He folded his arms and turned away, pouting. "I say we leave him here. If he dies, it serves him right."     He looked at Pikachu for approval, but Pikachu walked over to Brock. He walked under James, looking up at his face for a second, then took his foot. "Chu... Chu!" Pikachu grunted under his load as he tried to help carry James.     "How can yois be so insensitive?" Meowth complained at Ash. He didn't like the idea of these guys helping, but they were apparently more dependable then Jessie, and he didn't have many options. "Ain't yois supposed to be the good guy?"     "Stop it! Both of you!" Brock ordered, adjusting his grip. Will one of you please give me a hand here? This isn't exactly easy."     "Pi, pika chu!" Pikachu agreed, struggling with the foot. (He wasn't really helping, but it was the thought that counted)     "Why do you care all of a sudden?" Ash mumbled. "They've never done anything for you." In fact, Jessie was one of the few girls Brock had never flirted with, and he seemed to dislike James personally.     "Well, you see, James is like a brother for now." Ash gave an incredibly questioning look, and Brock explained. "He may be evil, but for now, he's an evil person I can identify with easily. Being dumped is my specialty."     "I'm... not... dumped." James murmured in protest, and everyone turned to him. "Jess.. is my best... friend." He weakly attempted to raise his head. "She'll... be here... for me... always." He said faithfully.     Misty turned away. She had always hated Team Rocket, at least she thought she had. Looking back, though, she couldn't remember any reason to hate James. He sounded so nice now, so sure of his friend, like he was expecting her to jump out of the bushes with some miracle cure. It was so sad. How could Jessie abandon him like this? She put his other arm over her shoulders to help him. "Of course she will." Misty said comfortingly.     "Way to watch him, Meowth." A voice came from behind them. They turned around to see Jessie, arms folded, leaning against the side of her jeep. "I swear. I leave him for one second, and..." She yanked James out of their arms and tossed him in the passenger seat. Quickly, she did her seat belt and turned to Meowth. "Move it or loose it."     "Well, excuse us for trying to help!" Misty yelled at the older red-head.     Jessie glared at the girl. "We don't need your help." She said coldly. Then she left the three friends in the dust.     "Wait!! You forgot me-owth again!" Meowth yelled, chasing after her for a few steps before giving up.      "Jessie..." James sighed contentedly, satisfied that he had been right. In his own mind, there had never been any doubt. He leaned against her, and she shifted to let his head to rest in her lap.     Slowly, without looking down, Jessie took one hand off the wheel. She gently stroked his head, letting her fingers run through his lavender hair. "You're going to be okay." She whispered.     She wished she could believe it. His forehead burned against her leg, and already her glove was soaked from his sweaty hair. "You'll make it. Just hold on." She was talking more to herself then to him, but it seemed to comfort him as well.     "Pika?" Pikachu's head popped up from behind James's legs. "Pikachu...." He looked around, wondering where he was. Last thing he remembered, he had been helping Brock carry James. What had happened? He looked over and saw Jessie. "Pika-aa!" He yelled, and she noticed him.     "Pikachu!" She yelled. Pikachu leaned against the door, expecting her to grab him. Instead, she seemed embarrassed that anyone had seen her acting so sensitive. She quickly removed her hand from James's head, and glared at him. "If you tell anyone..." She said warningly.     "Pi pika pikachu." (Yeah right, who am I going to tell?) Jessie couldn't understand, but suddenly the blaring realization that most Pokemon can't talk hit her. "Pika chu ka pikachu pi?" (Why is it so bad to care?)     She frowned, unable to understand, and looked back at the road. "You're safe for now. James is probably going to be in the hospital for a while, so I wouldn't be able to run off with you. Consider this your lucky day." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "Yes, ma'am? May I help you?" Nurse Joy looked up, then gasped when she saw who it was. "What do you want?" She asked fearfully. You won't find any pokemon here! This is a hospital for humans!"     "And that's a human." Jessie motioned to the young man lying on the ground. "Are you going to help him?" She had dragged him in as far the waiting room, but refused to hold him while she waited for assistance.     "What's wrong? Did you do this?" This particular Nurse Joy had never met the Team Rocket duo personally, but she had always heard of the red-head's violent tendencies. She leaned over the poor teenager.     "Of course I didn't!!!" Jessie yelled, barelly restraining the urge to hit Joy. That probably wouldn't be the best way to convince Joy she wasn't violent. "He was like this when I woke up!" She pouted a little, then added: "And how am I supposed to know what's wrong? You're the professional, you tell me!"     "Calm down." Joy checked James's pulse. "He's alive, but just barelly. You got him here as soon as you could, right?" The girl nodded sullenly. "Good. Every second counts." She walked back to her desk and pressed a few buttons on the control panel. A few seconds later Jessie heard a familiar voice.     "Yes, Joy?" The doctor asked.     "Doctor Proctor, we have a patient for you." Joy informed him. "It's very important that you see him right away. He's very weak." She added, hoping to avoid one of his infamous pick-ups.     "OK, OK, send him in." Proctor said, and the screen went blank. Joy sighed with relief and turned back to Chansey, who was wheeling in a stretcher.     "Thanks, Chansey." The girl and the Pokemon lifted James onto it. She turned to Jessie. "Would you like to come, too? We need to run some tests."     Jessie gulped. She really did want to know what was wrong with James, but was it worth it? Dr. Proctor could be rather strange at times, and he made her a little nervous. After the 'difficulties' they had encountered durring their last meeting, she didn't really want to see him. "I'll just wait here, thank you." She sat down.     "Suit yourself." Nurse Joy wheeled James out, with Chansey following her closely.     Jessie looked around the empty room, then at her feet. She was scared to death, but she tried not to let it show. "James... Please be okay." She whispered. Suddenly, she became aware of a large ball of yellow-and-brown fur next to her.     "Pikachu?" Pikachu asked worriedly.     "Pikachu!" Jessie pulled him into her lap, hugging him gently as she fought back tears. She hated to admit it, but she was seriously worried about her friend's safety.     "Pikachu." Pikachu said comfortingly.     "Pikachu!" Came another voice from the doorway, and both of them looked up. "You let Pikachu go this instant!" Ash yelled threateningly. Jessie released her grip on the small rodent.     "Get a life. I didn't steal him." She said. As if to prove her point, Pikachu stayed on her lap. "He wanted to come with me." She said smugly. Actually, it had surprised her. She had expected Pikachu to run to it's master immediately, but this was a pleasant surprise.     "Pika-pi, pikachu!" Pikachu yelled over to Ash, then curled up on Jessie's lap. Jessie gently petted him. "Chaa."     "What? Pikachu, what are you doing? Ash yelled, greatly flustered. "Stay away from her! She's trying to capture you!"     "He said yois need to learn to be more sympathetic." Meowth translated, walking over to Jessie. "You could learn to be a little more sympathetic yourself." He informed the red-headed girl. "Yois nearly ran over my tail."     Jessie merely nodded. She didn't care. She smiled down at Pikachu and stroked him. "Well, I've got one friend anyway. Don't I, Pikachu?"     "So, how is he doing?" Misty asked, her blue eyes bright with concern.     Jessie looked up. "Huh? Oh, I don't know." Misty looked at her funny. "Well, They're running some tests on him now, but I didn't go."     "What?!" Misty's harsh voice surprised Jessie. "You just left him alone?! He's really sick, he needs you around!" Jessie frowned. "And you call yourself his friend." Misty finished, glaring back at Jessie condemingly.     "What is that supposed to mean?!" Jessie shot back. "Of course I'm his friend, I'm his best friend! I don't see what that has to do with... With..." Jessie didn't want to admit the real reason, especially not to this girl. "With not hanging around for some boring tests!" She turned away, pouting. "Anyway, why do you care?"     "Why don't you?" Misty countered.     "Of course I care. I'm just not as paranoid as you. James is going to be fine, James is always fine. You couldn't kill that boy if you wanted to." Jessie smiled slightly. "Believe me, I've tried."     "And I say you're just heartless!" Misty yelled. "So you beat him all the time. That makes you think he's invincible? Either you're incredibly heartless, or you're just plain stupid!"     Jessie rose to her feet, knocking Pikachu off her lap. "Would you care repeating that?" She said threateningly, walking towards Misty.     "All right, stop that! Both of you, that's enough!" Came a voice from behind Jessie, and both girls turned to look. Nurse Joy had re-entered the room, and she now leaned against the wall, folding her arms. "Jessie, he's awake. Would you like see him now?"     Jessie nodded and followed Joy out of the waiting room. Misty frowned. "What a little witch." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    

Jessie entered the room, and James smiled brightly at her. "Hello, Jessie." He sat up a little, propping himself up on his elbows. "I think I'm okay now."     "Hi, James." Jessie, smiled back, relieved. What did that annoying girl know, anyway? Her James was already okay, just as she had said he would be. "I'm glad." She said, sitting in the chair next to him.     Nurse Joy interrupted her. "James, I asked you not to move. You're still very weak." She flipped through some papers, glancing over the chart's and doctor's comments. "So that's it..."     "What?" James asked calmly. Joy looked at him sadly, then turned away. James asked again, this time more nervously. "What was it?"     "Your kidneys are shot. You'll need a transplant." She looked through the test results again. "I can't explain it, there's no good reason for it. You should be okay." She looked up at him. "You don't drink, right? No cigarettes?"     "Of course not." James couldn't even stand the smell of smoke, it made him sick. Once, he had tried to drink a beer (on a dare). He got halfway through the can and passed out. He just wasn't up to that sort of thing. "No drugs, not even much medication." The pills he had been prescribed from Team Rocket's doctor for a flu last month was the first time in years he'd needed prescription drugs.     "A transplant..." Jessie whispered.     "How long do you think it would take?" James asked weakly. "To find a donor, I mean." This was all too much, his stomach was starting to churn heavily. Panicky, he reached for Jessie's hand. She didn't seem to notice.     "A week, a month, even years. It all depends, there's no way to know for sure. What blood type are you?"     "B"     "B... That could be tricky. Do you have any family? Any relatives that could donate? That's usually the best place to start."     "My mother's AB, and my father's been drinking since he was 13. He's in no condition to donate."     "How about you?" Joy turned to Jessie. "What blood type are you?" Jessie, who had paled considerably since the news, didn't answer. "Well? What's your type?" Joy pressed.     Jessie looked to her feet. "O." She muttered.     "O?" Joy asked, and Jessie nodded gravely. "That's great! The universal donor. You could give him one of yours. You're in pretty good shape."     "Me?!" She protested. "No, I don't think so. I, I couldn't. It wouldn't work." She said quickly, hardly trying to keep the fear out of her voice. "We can wait. He can live without one, right?"     Joy frowned. "For a while, but he'd have to go through dialysis at least twice a week. Even then, he'd still be pretty weak. He'll have to give up his... Occupation, until he can get a transplant. His chances of survival will go down considerably with time. He might not make it until a donor is found." She turned an accusing look on Jessie. "You'd be surprised how few people care enough to donate... He's relying on some pretty cold people, if you ask me."     "I didn't ask you anything!" Jessie yelled, rising from her chair. "I don't have to put up with this. It's my body, right? I can choose, and I say no!"     "You're being childish about this!" Joy shot back. "Yes, it's your body, but it's your friend, too. You can afford to lose it. You'd be in a very small danger, much smaller then James." She reasoned. "Especially without the transplant. What are you afraid of?"     "Leave me alone!" Jessie fumed. "I said no, and you can't make me."     "I don't want to make you do anything." James said softly, speaking for the first time since the two girls had started their argument. "I wouldn't ask you to do something like that. I understand." He turned to Nurse Joy. "I..."     "I didn't ask you!" Jessie retorted, angrier then she had meant to sound. James stopped speaking and turned to her, his eyes full of shock and hurt. She glared at both of them, and he turned away. She did too. "I don't see where there's any choice." She said quietly. "If James doesn't get a donor, he can't be part of the Team." She whirled around, running out the door. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "Well? Is he okay?" Misty asked as Jessie stalked past.     "Leave me alone." Jessie grumbled, going past through the doors and climbing into her Jeep.     "Fine! Be that way!" Misty yelled after her, then turned to Joy. "What happened?" Jessie sped off as Joy began to explain exactly what was wrong. She couldn't hear it again.     "I don't have to. It's my body. I have no reason to feel bad." She said aloud, trying to convince herself. "I'm not going to let them send me on a danged guilt trip and make me do this."     "I don't want to make you do anything." James's words came back, and she slammed the steering wheel with her fist. curse his stupid kindness. Why did he Join Team Rocket, anyway? It was obvious that he had too much heart to be a villain. She couldn't stand it.     "James." She slammed on the gas and clenched her teeth, fighting back tears. Joy and Misty were just mean, she could ignore them. James had to be nice about it. Why couldn't he just yell at her like everybody else? She gritted her teeth. Well, he could just sit on it. She wasn't giving up her kidney, not for James, not for anybody.     "Pi kaa."     "Pikachu! What are you doing here?" Jessie frowned. "You're sure hanging around for someone who doesn't want to be captured." Pikachu looked at her.     "Pika! Pika pi pikachu, pika! Chu!" He yelled accusingly. She turned away. "Pika!" Pikachu put his paws in two upside-down V's, placing them over his eyes. "Pikachu...."     "Yeah, I know." She grumbled. "I don't want to give James my kidney. That makes me a demon." She turned to him. "You know, you and your friends can just go to..."     BEEEEEEEEP! A deafening blast of a horn caused her to look back to the road. She shrieked as she saw herself on a collision course with a huge truck, and desperately yanked the wheel, swerving off the road. "Eeeeeeek!!!" She screamed.     "Piiiikaaaaa!" >THUNK< Pikachu looked around. He was apparently still alive. They must have hit a tree. He turned to the driver and gasped. Jessie lay draped over the steering wheel, a small trickle of blood dripping from her forehead. "Pika? Pikachu?" He said nervously, stepping over to her lifeless form. "Chu?" He began to gently shake her shoulder. "Chu, chu Pika!" He yelled, crying.     "Hey, is anybody there?" It was the truck driver. "Are you okay?"     "Pikachu!" Pikachu yelled, running up to the man, then to Jessie. "Pika!"     "Is she alive?" The man asked nervously, taking her wrist in his hand. "Good. She's still here, but not by much." He gently lifted her face, wincing at the deep purple mark on her forehead. "She needs a doctor's attention." He concluded, picking her up gently.     "Pika-chu?" Pikachu asked nervously, following the man as he walked back to his truck with the unconscious girl. The man gently set her in the sleeper of his cab, then turned to Pikachu.     "Are you hers?" He asked. Pikachu just nodded, knowing that it would be too hard to try to explain otherwise. Especailly when he couldn't talk. "Well, your master's in bad shape. What in the hell was she thinking? She was driving totally on the wrong side of the road." Pikachu just sniffled softly, and the man's frown softened. "Come on, we'll go together. I'm sure she'll be okay." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Nurse Joy looked up, and gasped as he saw the man carrying Jessie. "What happened?!" She quickly ran over. "Did she do this to herself?" She inspected the scar. "She was pretty unstable when she left."     "I don't think so." The man said, then thought about it. "You mean she just left the hospital? Should she have been driving so soon?" Joy shook her head.     "It wasn't for her... Her best friend was admitted to the hospital today." A Chansey ran up with a stretcher, and the man gingerly set her down on it. "She was pretty upset. I assume this was because of her awful driving, then?" The man nodded sullenly. "Well, let's get her in." Joy sighed.     James looked up from the hospital bed as a stretcher rolled past. Had that been flaming red hair? "No... please, not her, not now..." He prayed silently. Joy was walking past, and he called to her. "That wasn't... was it?" He said nervously, his eyes pleading. Joy shook her head sadly, and hung it sadly. James gasped. "She's not..."     "She shouldn't have been driving, James." Joy replied. "She's received a major blow to her head. I'm not sure if she'll make it." She sighed. "Even if she did, There's a chance that she'll have permanent brain damage." She looked up at the boy. "I'm sorry."     "No." James whispered numbly, turning away. "No." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Doctor Procter stood over the unconscious young girl, frowning nervously. She really liked to tempt death, didn't she? He remembered that she had been in the crash responsible for the emergency that had turned his hospital into a Pokemon Center. After a crash that bad, most people wouldn't even set foot in a car for years. But here she was, back again, this time in a much worse situation. He motioned to Nurse Joy. "We'd better get her out her uniform. There could be other wounds."     Nurse Joy nodded, and began to unsnap the short white jacket. "Would you mind turning around, sir?" Proctor blushed slightly, but turned away. Joy gently slipped off the long leather gloves, then removed the jacket. She ran her hand along the back of Jessie's shirt, trying to find the zipper. A hand slapped hers away.     "Lecher." The girl mumbled softly, still slightly in a stupor.     "Jessie?" Joy gasped with surprise, and Jessie put a hand to her head, groaning softly.     "I already know my name." She muttered, sitting up despite Joy's protests. "You don't have to yell at me." She shook her head slightly, trying to knock some sense into it, then looked around. "Huh? What am I doing here?" She turned nervously. "Where's the car? Where's Pikachu?!" The little guy probably hadn't survived the crash. Her first chance to actually catch that stupid rodent, and she had killed him. What a tragedy.     "ASH's Pikachu is fine." Joy said. "The driver, however, seemed to think he was yours. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" She raised an accusing eyebrow at Jessie.     "Noooo..." Jessie groaned, trying to focus her eyes. For once, she had no idea.     "Hush, Joy." The doctor chided, gently pushing her to the side. "She's still hurt." He looked up at Jessie. "How are you feeling, dear?" He said nicely. "Well, I've already injected heavy pain-killers. They should be taking effect any time. Before they do, can you tell me where it hurts?"     "My head, you idiot." Jessie growled. "What do you think, I just got this bump 'cause it's the new fashion?" A horrible thought occurred to her, and she looked straight at him nervously. "It's not going to leave a permanent scar, is it?"     "No, I don't think so." Proctor assured her, ignoring the first part. Jessie sighed with relief. "Do you hurt anywhere else?" Jessie shook her head, slipping her jacket back around her shoulders. "That's amazing... And here we were, afraid you weren't going to make it."     "You'd be surprised." Jessie grinned slightly, despite her pain. With the new medicine, she hardly felt it anymore. "We Rockets can handle quite a bit." Actually, she felt pretty good. Doctor Proctor nodded. Jessie looked to her feet. "Doctor? I've been thinking about some things... I have some questions for you. I need your help with something."     "Questions? About what?" He asked.     "Well..." Jessie threw a look at Joy, then turned back to the doctor. "It's kinda personal." She admitted. "Could we talk about it... Alone?"     "Of course." The doctor smiled. "We can go to my office." He put one hand on her shoulder, nudging her off the table and leading her towards the door. Joy looked at the two questioningly.     "So long, Joy." Jessie smiled. "Thanks for your help. Don't wait up." Joy just sighed. For her part, she hoped James didn't find out about this. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "Are you sure?" James said, his voice full of disbelief. Misty nodded.     "She's just fine, James. I saw her this morning. She just got a bump on her head, that's all." Misty assured him. "She even smiled at me."     "Thank God." James grinned brightly, as if it were too good to be true. "I was so worried about her." His face darkened slightly. "But I wonder why she didn't come to see me? I mean, since she was here and everything. I hope she's not still mad." He wasn't sure what exactly he'd done, but an angry Jessie was a scary Jessie.     "I wouldn't worry about it." James turned to the nurse entering her room. "She seemed pretty happy when I saw her." Down in the coffee room, with Doctor Proctor. Joy frowned at that for a moment, then smiled at him. "I've got some wonderful news for you."     "Yeah? More good news?" James gave her his attention.     "James..." His enthusiasm made Joy smile, despite herself. "We've found a donor for you!"     "Wow..." James sat back in amazement, then gave another one of his beaming smiles. "This is great! Today couldn't get any better!" He looked at Joy. "Who was it? Do I know them?"     "They wished to remain anonymous." Joy said. "Even I don't know who it was. But that's okay. The point is, you get your new kidney this afternoon!"     "That's wonderful." A tiered voice came from the door. Everyone turned.     "Jessie!" James beamed. "Did you hear?"     "Yeah." She said calmly.     "Isn't it wonderful? We can still be a team!" He nearly giggled.     "I wouldn't have it any other way." She said with a sad smile. "Do you know when you're getting the transplant?"     "As soon as he's ready." Joy answered for him. James turned to Jessie.     "Will you be there? I'd really feel safer if you were." She looked at him with a slightly sad expression. Or was it guilt?     "I'm sorry, James." She said. "I can't make it. I'd really like to." She said sincerely. "But I've got something very important to do." She checked her watch. "In fact, I really can't stay here any longer." She leaned over the bed, hugging him gently. "Good luck, James. I'm sure you'll be fine."     "Thanks, Jess." He said bravely. "I'm sure I will, too."     "Jessie? Are you in here?" Doctor Proctor poked his head in the door. "Oh, there you are. Are you ready?" Jessie went a little pale, but nodded and waved to everybody in the room, then quickly ducked out of the room, following the doctor.     "What's up with her?" Misty said angrily.     "What do you mean?" James asked. "Is something wrong with her?" He said worriedly. Misty looked at him with disbelief, then turned away.     "No, I guess not." She said sadly. Had Jessie always been this cruel? She wasn't really skipping out on a life-threatening operation for a stupid date, was she? She really was a witch. "I'll stay here with you." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Jessie skipped down the hallway, smiling brightly. Doctor Proctor sighed. The pain-killers he had administered for Jessie's headache were working a little too well, making her totally delusional as she leaned into a doorway to smile at a patient. "Hello, young lady." The man said.     "Hello, sir!" Jessie grinned, hopping out.     "Are you sure you're ready?" Proctor questioned. He could get in big trouble for this. After all, even without the drugs he had given her, she was still a minor, legally unable to give her consent. And she certainly wasn't 'of sound mind and body' right now. He could lose his license. But she was pretty insistent.     "Yeah, 'course I am." Jessie assured him. She peeked into the empty operation room. "This one?" The Doctor nodded. "Come on, then." She lay down on the operating table. "Let's get to it!" She immediately fell asleep.     Proctor sighed again. This wasn't going to be easy. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
_The next morning:_   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     James opened his eyes. He was still alive. That was a good sign. He looked around. Misty and Pikachu, who had stayed with him during the surgery, had apparently gone to bed. Jessie was nowhere in sight. He tried to sit up.     "Stop that." A voice chided. He looked up. "You're going to tear out your stitches. Now sit back down before you hurt yourself."      "I feel fine." He lied. "We Rockets are used to pain. It takes a lot to hurt us." He continued to sit up. "Where's Jessie?" He looked around. "She said she'd be here." Joy looked around, then nervously leaned over like she was going to tell him a secret.     "You're already awake?" Jessie said from the doorway. "You are pretty tough." Her normal Rocket uniform was gone. Instead, she wore a tight, knee length jacket, fastened to the waist, then split to show a black mini-skirt. Jessie stood slightly, shifting her weight painfully from the doorway, and sat in a chair next to him.     "Wow, Jess." James said. "It's... Different." He looked at her. "But why would you want to change the uniform? The old one looked just fine."     "I don't know. I guess I just wanted a change." She said distantly. "So, how are you feeling?"     "I feel pretty good. I think I can leave today." He put a hand on his stomach. "I guess it's working. That was so nice of whoever gave it to me." His face darkened slightly. "I just wish I could thank them personally."     "They're probably dead." Jessie commented. "That's usually when people give their organs." James frowned.     "Well, I hope not." He looked at the incision mark. "Boy, that's a nasty scar. Will it be permanent?" Joy nodded. Jessie shifted uncomfortably and put a hand on her own stomach. Joy smiled at her.     "Why Jessie, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were having sympathy pains." She said happily. "And here I thought you had no sympathy."     Jessie shot a glare at her. "What does it matter to you?" She said, rubbing her stomach gingerly. "It just hurts." She turned to James. "When do you think you'll be ready to go?"     "Well, excuse me." Joy shot back. "He can't leave until at least tomorrow morning."     "Sounds good to me." Jessie said, leaning on the bed. Boy, was she tiered. She yawned and rested her head on her arms. Within moments, she was asleep. James watched her until he was sure she was totally asleep, then slipped back down into his bed, resting a hand on her shoulder. Soon, he was sleeping too. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "You know, normally we would keep you for another day." Joy said again as the two headed towards the door.     "This isn't a normal patient." Jessie retorted as James leaned against her for support, still limping slightly. She seemed to have a hard time supporting just the little weight he put on her. "We'll be fine." This was all on the Boss's money, anyway. While he had been surprisingly willing to pay for all of the bills amassed over the past few days, she didn't want to press their luck.     "Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Doctor Proctor asked. He tried to make it sound like he was asking both of them, but it was pretty obvious he was just talking to Jessie. She nodded slightly, turning away nervously, and headed out the large front doors. Meowth met them, and began walking next to them as they painfully headed back towards camp.     "I still can't believe you totally changed the uniform like that without checking it with me." Meowth said accusingly to Jessie. "You haven't forgotten who's top cat around here, have you?"     "Get lost."     "And what's that supposed to mean? You can't talk to me like that!" Meowth complained. "Respect my authori-tay!" He used his fury swipe on Jessie.     She grabbed her face and shrieked. "You idiot! You ruined my perfection!" She screamed.     "Poifection? Jess, have yois looked in the mirror lately?" Meowth taunted. "Yois are a lotta things, but poifect ain't one of them!" Jessie knocked him silly with a large fan, then began sobbing.     "It's okay. Jess." James tried to comforted her. "It doesn't look that bad. Besides, It'll be gone soon." She looked at him.     "You don't know that." She sniffled. "Some scars last forever."     "Not on us."     "What about your stomach? It's not healing anytime soon. You'll have that forever." She countered. The scratches on her face had already faded.     "That's a little different." He said. "That was major surgery. We're talking about a bump on your head."     "Says who?" She grumbled.     "What?"     "Nothing." She looked at him. "Doesn't it bother you, though? Your stomach is ruined forever. You'll never be able to show it in public again. And even if you don't, someday you'll probably get married, and she'll see it every day."     "Now come on. You're taking this too far." He blushed. "First, I almost never show my stomach anyway. Second, I'm not planning to get married any time soon. Third, if I do, it'll be to a girl who doesn't care about a silly scar."     "You know your problem? You aren't a girl." James's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "I mean, you don't understand. What if I got that scar? Do you know what that would do to me?"     "Not as much now. Not with your new clothes." James observed.     "I'd still know it was there." Her hand was on her stomach again. More sympathy pains? She seemed to care a lot more than he thought. "It would drive me insane. It would seem so ugly... I'd hate myself. I'd never be able to get married."     "Because of a scar?!" He said incredulously.     "Not just any scar. A horrible, ugly, stupid..." She started crying again. James blinked back surprise. Was this all because of his scar? Maybe she hit her head harder than the doctors thought. He had to stop this, though. Her talk right now was making him nervous.     "You'd still be beautiful." He offered. Girls always liked that. She glared at him, and he stepped back. What had he done?     "You're lying!" She yelled, pushing him out of the way as she ran off.     "Is it that 'special time' of month for her?" Meowth asked. "She's wois than usual."     "I just don't get it." James replied, his eyes following her. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    When James and Meowth got to camp, Jessie was starring in a mirror. Not smiling, not moving, hardly even breathing. The two hid in the bushes to watch, confused. As she looked, her gaze hardened to a glare. Soon, she was almost shaking from fury. The two boys looked at each other.     "What on oith?" Meowth asked. James shook his head, totally stupefied. Why? The bump? He had heard Joy say it would be gone within weeks. Why was she like this? He stared at Meowth for another moment, then turned back as Jessie shrieked.     "I hate you, I Hate YOU!!!" She screamed at the mirror, slamming a fist into it. "Damn you... damn Proctor, damn James!" She sobbed. The glass shattered, cutting through her glove, and she sunk to the ground, hugging her fist. "Why?" She whispered, her voice frail like a small child. "How could you?" her cut hand went to her stomach again. She choked softly, leaning forward and weeping bitterly. "Look at you." She sobbed. "How could you let this happen? Why did you go through with it? Why?!" The sobs continued, her two friends frozen in place.     "I don't understand..." Meowth whispered. James shook his head, his face totally white as he realized what had happened.     "She and the doctor... That's what it was." James gulped, his eyes brimming with tears. Suddenly the crying stopped, replaced by a soft chuckle. They both snapped their heads to look at her.     "It's kinda funny." She said aloud as the chuckle increased. "These past few days... James has gotten a whole new life, he's been saved..." The chuckle was now closer to a maniacal cackle as she held up a shard of the mirror. "And yet, for me..." She turned the shard slightly, admiring it's sharp edge with a crazy grin.     "NO!!" She turned her head towards him. "I don't believe it." James said, stepping out from the bushes.     "What's there to not believe?" Jessie said with slight sarcasm. "I should've known you'd figure it out soon enough. It doesn't really matter anymore, though."     James shook his head numbly. "I just can't believe you would do something like that. He didn't... force you, did he? After all you said, I just can't believe you would let yourself be pressured into that."     "Well, do." Her hand pulled the jacket out of the way. Both her partners gasped.      On her stomach was a mark, identical to the one James had on his stomach. The only difference was that her stomach caved in slightly around it. "You wanted to thank me?" She cackled again.     "So it was her... She gave youis the kidney?" Meowth commented. "You mean that's the dark secret?" He was obviously perplexed. "Why is that bad?"      James nodded to the first question, as if he had never considered that it could have been anything else. He ignored the second part. "It was you... After all you said. Didn't you know it would do this to you?" James asked, his mind racing. What could he do?     "Of course I did." She said. "I knew it would kill me. Why do you think I tried to get out of it?" She looked at her feet. "But the way everybody was so mad at me, It was like I was killing you. It doesn't always seem like it, but I do care what happens to you. It hurt. A lot."     Her gaze darkened from the bad memories. "Then there was the crash." She looked up at him again. "My life flashed before my eyes. It was awful. I've never done anything right. Never. No matter what I do, everybody's always hated me. You don't understand... You never could." She buried her head in her arms and cried gently. James began to step forward to comfort her, when light sobs turned back into a crazy giggle. "I decided to go out with a bang. How does it feel, James? The tables have turned. Now my blood will be on your hands. Everybody's going hate you, now. Look what you did. That poor partner of yours. She just wanted to help, and it drove her to suicide. And yet." She put the shard to her wrist, "Was it really your fault?"     "Don't!" He cried. "Jessie, don't do this to yourself. Please." He moved forward, and she jerked the glass, nearly cutting herself. "Please, think about it." She frowned. "Jess, I meant it. You are still beautiful."     "This is no time for sweet talk...." She said sarcastically. "I'm not in the mood for lies. Can you honestly say that you think I'm as pretty as I was before?" He bowed his head slightly, avoiding her glare.     "No." She grinned triumphantly as he searched for an answer. "You're more beautiful then I ever thought you were." He finished, and she gulped. "You see, Jessie, before you were a tough girl. Cute, Pretty even, but cruel. Now..." He looked straight into her eyes. "You saved my life. You're like an angel to me."     "An angel..?" Jessie whispered quietly, shaken. "Me?" Then, her gaze darkened again. "More lies..." She gulped, but he could tell it had affected her inside.     " Of course it's true. I owe you my life, Jessie." He walked forward, she was in too much shock to make him stop. He gently took the fragment of glass from her hand, and kissed her forehead. "I'm not going to let you make it two lives I've taken from you." She gulped again, and looked into his eyes.     "James..." She whimpered, and he wrapped his arms around her. She cried softly a little more, leaning against his shoulder, then curling up into his lap. "No one else would understand it like that." She protested slightly.     "Well, I don't see where it makes that big a difference." James answered. "But if you still think that way..." He hugged her again, and she hugged back, totally unprepared for what he was about to say. "I guess you'll have to marry me."     "What?!" She squeaked. He looked down at her, then blushed slightly     "I mean, if you won't marry anybody else now that you've got that scar. It's not that bad, though. Is it?" She frowned slightly, confused. "Y'know, if you're going to marry someone, and it can't be anyone else, but it could be me... Forget it." He turned away. "You don't understand, do you?"     "I do." He blushed harder at her choice of words, and she smiled at his goofy expression. "What a dork." She said lovingly.     "Well, we don't have to do it any time soon." He rushed. "But you agree?" He asked hopefully, and she nodded. "It's a pretty good trade actually." He trailed one hand down to her stomach, resting it on the dent. "A kidney for a heart."     "That's sweet." Jessie crooned, burying her head in his shoulder.     "She's okay, then?" Meowth popped up beside them.     "She's better then okay." James answered, stroking her hair gently. "She's perfect." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    The nurse nervously stepped up to the huge oak desk. "Mr. Giovanni, sir?" She gulped. The boss turned around. "We've totally examined all of Mr. James's medical records, and we managed to get hold of and dissect the kidney that was removed. We think we know where it went wrong. However..." She seemed nervous. "While the drug wasn't caught by the initial tests, the hospital would have discovered it had they run a biopsy. So you see, it was worth the bills. Miss Jessica has saved our program from being discovered." She waited for his reaction.     "Whatever." He seemed uninterested. "Make the new pills, and send them to the doctor." Giovanni continued. "We get flues every few days. Your next test can begin within a week." The girl nodded and bowed slightly, backing away. Giovanni turned to frown out the window.     Unlike most parts of Team Rocket, the medical department was dedicated to helping people. They were constantly inventing new medications. These medications would make people less sick, and him more rich. But testing laws were so overbearing, and a very few screwups could ruin your reputation. With his system, employees were 'volunteered' to participate in the drug tests. Most of the time, they worked. Sometimes, they didn't. But in the end, this cure for the common flu would be much more important than one loser's kidneys. Much more profitable, as well...     "Ah, Well..." Giovanni mumbled. "Maybe next time...     

The End 

What do you think? Let me know! Ever since Meowth said 'We can't stay here fore-vah!' in his best Cartman voice, I've wanted to make him say "Respect my authori-tay!" (That's about all the South Park I've seen, but Meowth reminds me of Cartman) I'm especially interested when you figured out what Jessie had really done. This was one of my first fanfics, so it's not exactly 'top grade', but it's the only one-parter I had. Send comments to [Ami][1]

   [1]: Mailto:Ami_Thest@Yahoo.com



End file.
